Dim Sum, Rain and Then Some (More Day 1)

Well after a shower and a little rest, the old broads had to get out into London. And why stay in your own quiet neighborhood when a few short tube stops away (no, that's not tube socks), you are in the heart of some real London action. We decided around 3:30 p.m. that, hey we could make it to the Tower of London in time to look around this afternoon. It didn't close until 5:30 so no problem. Well that was until we arrived to find that the "Tower of London" is actually a huge castle with lots of towers. Guess we didn't retain enough of our pre-trip reading. It wasn't a bust though. We had a nice casual walk around the castle and were delighted with a a great view of the London Bridge. There was a nice breeze and we were feeling pretty peppy after our little rest.

We decided to eat dinner. It was about lunch time Arkansas time and we hadn't had a meal since the night before, unless you count a croissant and a little yogurt for breakfast right before landing in London (which was around 12:30 Arkansas time - not when you normally eat breakfast). Found a spiffy dim sum restuarant with a view of a river harbour. Eating outside is one of the two old broads favorite ways to dine. It's not really caught on in the states but Europe is full of outside dining. We ordered a multi-course sharing menu and a couple of glasses of wine. The appetizer came out and I can only compare how it looked to pork rinds. However, it smelled like fish and came with a very spicy dipping sauce - strange but good. Next came a series of small trays, baskets and plates until our little table could hold no more. It was an interesting variety of small and sometimes strange morsels. Our walk back to the station was hurried by a little rain. We noticed that no one seems to care much about the rain. No panic about the hairdo or getting clothes a little wet. People just keep moving with no fuss. Kind of nice so we did the same (one old broad did cheat a little though by holding a newpaper up to keep the rain out of her face).

We're back in the room relaxing with tea and lattes (on tap 24/7 in the B&B lobby). Be back tomorrow with some pics. We're headed back out to the Tower, Bridge and seeing Wicked tomorrow night at the Appolo Victoria theatre.

P.S. Newly learned terms - Twit (stupid person), tipple (alcoholic drink)